U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the launch of a new initiative, Home as a Health Care Hub, to help reimagine the home environment as an integral part of the health care system, with the goal of advancing health equity for all people in the U.S.
The FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has contracted with an architectural firm that intentionally designs innovative buildings with health and equity in mind, to consider the needs of variable models of a home and tailor solutions with opportunities to adapt and evolve in complexity and scale. The hub will be designed as an Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR)-enabled home prototype and is expected to be completed later this year. The Home as a Health Care Hub prototype is the beginning of the conversation—helping device developers consider novel design approaches, aiding providers to consider opportunities to educate patients and extend care options, generating discussions on value-based care paradigms, and opening opportunities to bring clinical trials and other evidence generation processes to underrepresented communities through the home. This collaborative venture encompasses active engagement with patient groups, health care providers, and the medical device industry to build the Home as a Health Care Hub. This prototype will serve as an idea lab, not only to connect with populations most affected by health inequity, but also for medical device developers, policy makers, and providers to begin developing home-based solutions that advance health equity.
Ultimately, this initiative seeks to fortify the FDA’s capacity to address evolving healthcare needs by fostering the delivery of care within the familiar and accessible confines of the home environment.
Read the full release from the FDA here.
